Say it with scorn: Vinegar valentines from the collection

Say it with scorn: Vinegar valentines from the collection

February 14, 2017

Our stories:

Rejection rather than affection was the theme of early 19th-century paper valentines.

Google Doodle, 9 February 2017

Access four centuries of women’s history with your library card

February 9, 2017

News:

In the late 1800’s, Aletta Jacobs and her husband C.V. Gerritsen began collecting books, pamphlets and periodicals reflecting the revolution of a feminist consciousness and the movement for women’s rights.

Intrada, 2016, c1974

New Listening in Arts: Shows & Soundtracks : Bright Star to Chinatown, and much more.

February 2, 2017

Film, Music, Rare Books & Arts:

For the New Year, some great new additions to the Library’s large and growing collection of film soundtracks, and Broadway musical cast albums. From classic scores like Chinatown and Mame, to the contemporary sounds of Waitress and… Read More ›

State Library Victoria calls for Fellowships for 2017

State Library Victoria calls for Fellowships for 2017

January 31, 2017

News:

Applications are now open for artists, performers, filmmakers, writers, composers – or anyone with an interesting idea – to tap into the State Library’s rich collections through its annual Fellowships program.

'Cruising in search of whales'

Castaway in the Siberian Arctic

January 31, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

David Wilkinson joined Victoria’s first whaling expedition, aboard the ship Japan under the command of Frederick Barker. On 5 March 1869 Japan weighed anchor in Hobson’s Bay and commenced a voyage from which she would never return.

Inside the lab: How we prepare for an exhibition

Inside the lab: How we prepare for an exhibition

January 24, 2017

Collection Care, Conservation, Our stories, Registration and loans:

The Library’s Conservation department works behind-the-scenes to ensure all collection and loan material selected for an exhibition is prepared and installed to a museum standard. The recent installation of ON AIR: 40 years of 3RRR was no exception.

The last residential caretaker

The last residential caretaker

January 20, 2017

Our stories:

George Swain, the State Library’s last residential caretaker sadly passed away this week. A WWII veteran, he brought up a family of six children in an apartment on the roof of the Library’s dome, living there until the early 80s. In a post he wrote for the dome centenary in 2013, George reminisces about bringing up his family on the roof of the Library.

Family history as history

Family history as history

January 18, 2017

Family matters:

Welcome to our guest blogger – Walter Struve from the Information Services team. At what point do we see family histories as part of broader histories, both national and trans-national,… Read More ›

Richard Divall, By Londonopera (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Remembering Richard Divall

January 18, 2017

Rare Books & Arts:

A good friend to State Library Victoria, Maestro Richard Divall sadly passed away on the weekend after a long battle with cancer.

It’s just not cricket… or is it?

It’s just not cricket… or is it?

January 10, 2017

Sport, Such was life:

On Wednesday 23 March, 1895 a large crowd gathered at the East Melbourne cricket ground for an unusual event – a ladies’ cricket match. The ladies had been practising in secret and speculation was rife over what they would wear…

Such was life

On the case: Detective Piggott and the development of forensics

On the case: Detective Piggott and the development of forensics

November 3, 2025 11 comments

The early 1900s was an exciting time to be a detective. Innovations in science and technology, combined with the popularity of detective stories shifted crime fighting away from the seedy world of informers, which had influenced the early years of policing, towards the detection of crime using scientific methods and forensic evidence. Find out about how one Victorian detective contributed to the development of police forensics.

Arts

Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios

Portraits of Melbourne artists in their studios

December 8, 2025 0 comments

John Hinds, an artist, photographer and active ROAR member from 1986 to 1992 spent time capturing artists he personally knew and the spaces that they used to create their works. His photographs captured a unique and often unseen time and place, creating an invaluable insight into the art scene in Melbourne.